Dog Hot Spots: What You Should Know

We all know how important our pets our to us, and dogs especially, so it’s good that you know what to look out for in terms of skin irritation for them, and some things that they run into occasionally are areas called dog hot spots, which will be described in detail in the summary below.

So what hot spots are, are places on a dog that have become infected after a dog has bitten, chewed on, or compulsively licked an area of its skin. This initially rashy area can rapidly spread to other parts of the dogs skin, and then secondary infections start, and then pus gets caught in the dog’s hair, which continues to worsen the situation.

As far as what caused the initial irritation, there are several possibilities. It could have been an environmental or physical skin condition, or it could be something like parasites, bacteria, fungi, or potentially a virus. All of these things can cause a dog to itch initially, and from there it can all go down hill quickly, as when a dog wants to itch, it itches!

Allergies also irritate a dog’s skin to the point where it will bite and scratch at those areas. Yes, just like humans, dog have allergies as well, and one study suggests that has many as one in seven dogs have the condition severely enough to impact its life quite negatively. Food allergies are often a culprit as well, depending on what kind of diet you are feeding your dog.

Fleas and ticks can also give your dogs skin the first set of irritation that it requires to start chewing at its skin. Those tiny but pesky critters can hop on your dog from other animals, from being out in nature, or being in living spaces that have them there already, so be aware at all times.

If your dog is shedding a lot or has any other type of excessive hair loss, that also may be an indication of an underlying problem that should get checked out right away, as hot spots may accompany those symptoms as well, and any deviation from normal health conditions should be a cause for concern.

If you need to treat your dog, there are several options depending on the original cause. There are shampoos and creams that will clean and reduce the swelling in certain areas, and there are antibiotics for the dog to take to help clear out any potential infection that is going occurring on the surface of the skin.

So now that you’re a little bit more aware of what hot spots are, if this is something that you imagine your dog or a friend’s dog has, you will know a few of the signs and causes, and can get the appropriate medicine to make sure you dog is healthy and happy.